Five flicks not to be missed at the Kamloops Film Fest

1. James White

Josh Mond directs his debut feature film with James White, starring Christopher Abbot (Girls, A Most Violent Year) and also features one of my favourite actors, Ron Livingston (Office Space, Band of Brothers).

The flick has already taken the audience award at Sundance and an AFI Fest Don Quixote Award. It promises to be a hard-hitting and engaging drama about becoming a responsible adult and enduring the hardships that come with it.

2. No Men Beyond This Point

Vancouver director Mark Sawers puts forward this world-flipped-on-its-head mockumentary where men have become useless and started going extinct.

“My name is Andrew Myers. I’m 37-years-old and I’m the youngest man in the world.”

Those are the words of one of many (but relatively speaking, few) men in the film who come forward to explain this phenomenon.

If the film plays out something like the trailer, it’s going to be a good one.

3. Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World

Haida Gwaii: On the Edge of the World looks at the islands’ history and future and explores the culture-rich population of the islands and what makes their inhabitants different, or perhaps how the islands makes them different.

This one is directed by Charles Wilkinson and Tina Schliessler, who directed past Kamloops Film Fest documentary feature Oil Sands Karaoke, which I reviewed two years ago. Has this directorial duo delivered another strong eco-documentary? I’m betting they have.

4. The Witch

The Witch looks terrifying. It feels organic and real, as if this was the origin story for the character archetype of the witch. Focused on a terrorized family in 1630s England, this intense flick is the first feature-length film from director Robert Eggers.

This one already took home a Sundance award for best director and promises to creep you the hell out.

5. Anomalisa

Judging by the trailer, the use of stop motion here looks extraordinarily well done and it feels very immersive. But nonetheless, I’m not here for the visuals, I’m here for the storytelling, and director Charlie Kaufmann (Eternal Sunshine, Adaptation and more) is an absolute master at it as far as I’m concerned.

The plot is predictably Kaufmann-esque. A man crippled by the mundanity of his own life experiences something out of the ordinary – Lisa, and anomalous presence. I can’t wait to see where Kaufmann takes this one.